Miscellaneous A Message From The Queen

Moondancer · Feb 26, 2016

Tenor Viol said:
I bit my tongue - I was certainly taught as a youngster to use -ize so the useof -ize and -ise is not as clear-cut as some would like to think. What has happened post-war is that there is a move to simplification and in the UK in many cases -ize has been mostly dropped in favour of -ise.

I've never been sure which is which and tend to use the one that "looks best" instead of looking in a dictionary. Common usage in the UK favours -ise these days, as you say, so it doesn't matter in many ways, because comprehension is unaffected!

aldevis · Feb 26, 2016

I mentioned that in another thread, but Her Majesty just inaugurated the pruple line, here in London

Tenor Viol · Feb 26, 2016

Jacques5646 · Mar 8, 2016

jbtsax said:
Perhaps you are not aware of my boast that I have been kicked off SOTW for life more times than any other member---five at last count. I would love to post it there if only I could. If anyone would like to post it there on my behalf please feel free to do so and say it is from their "exile" jbtsax.

I'd love to be your proxy but you know that any post coming closer than 12 miles from any topic vaguely deemed political will be wiped out at once by the nervous moderators.
BTW (as they say over there), why have you been banned ? You look pretty urbane...

ProfJames · Mar 8, 2016

Jacques5646 said:
I'd love to be your proxy but you know that any post coming closer than 12 miles from any topic vaguely deemed political will be wiped out at once by the nervous moderators.
BTW (as they say over there), why have you been banned ? You look pretty urbane...

@jbtsax ...... urbane!!? He is a wild man!!

Targa · Mar 8, 2016

Does that mean @Alc. is the Urbane Spaceman.

Targa · Mar 8, 2016

For our younger viewers.

Alc. · Mar 8, 2016

I am probably closer to 'urban' than urbane, what with the straw in my hair, but spaceman? I have heard the term 'spaced-out' used when people didn't know I was listening. Maybe spaceman fits; some days after watching the political news I sometimes wonder what planet I'm on.

ProfJames · Mar 8, 2016

Alc. said:
I am probably closer to 'urban' than urbane, what with the straw in my hair, but spaceman? I have heard the term 'spaced-out' used when people didn't know I was listening. Maybe spaceman fits; some days after watching the political news I sometimes wonder what planet I'm on.

I told you @Alc. was an alien from Area 51........Baritone sax my eye! That is a new propulsion unit off his space ship. Look at the hat he is wearing as well.......ever seen another person on this planet wearing one? No? Well, think of what I just said..................X Files and stuff.........

Alc. · Mar 8, 2016

I wouldn't talk about hats if I were you, Prof. Someone is covering something up; perhaps antennae! And you certainly have an affinity for X-Files! Someone is protesting too much, methinks. Area 51, Roswell, Berkshire...Berkshire? This requires further investigation.

ProfJames · Mar 8, 2016

The truth is out there @Alc.

Targa · Mar 8, 2016

Alc. · Mar 9, 2016

Targa, if I could get my protector of the realm, Mortimer, to look at the screen he might be amused and agreeable at your post with the feline looking down at the scene. But since he only looks at me with the expression of; 'What the hell's wrong with you?' I'll let him go back to his duties, consisting of sleeping nineteen hours a day and presenting me with a mouse, bird, gopher, sometimes a used illegal alien (we're fairly close to the border), but I make him drop the illegal. We're not supposed to keep them. But Mort said thanks for the thought.

Prof, we're wondering how much activity there really is in Blighty. Berkshire...hmm.

Lizengar · Mar 9, 2016

I like this! Had a terrible time talking to people who claimed I spelt certain words wrongly...yes sirs, it is spelt as "spelt", not the brutally ravaged "spelled". They ought to know adding an 'ed' does not simply turn the word to a past tense.

Tenor Viol · Mar 9, 2016

Lizengar said:
I like this! Had a terrible time talking to people who claimed I spelt certain words wrongly...yes sirs, it is spelt as "spelt", not the brutally ravaged "spelled". They ought to know adding an 'ed' does not simply turn the word to a past tense.

Ah, the evolution of the past participle... 🙂

I believe it was a US politician by the name of Webster (he of the dictionary) who attempted to reform spelling so that it aligned to (then) current pronunciation. He got as far as colour/color, neighbor/neighbour, center/centre etc. but no further.

aldevis · Mar 9, 2016